Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Arrested in New York, Attorney Tells CNN

By Elizabeth Wagmeister, Josh Campbell and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Editor’s Note: Follow live updates on the arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

(CNN) — Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has faced a series of sexual assault lawsuits and a federal human trafficking investigation over the past year, has been arrested, the producer’s attorney tells CNN.

Combs was arrested Monday night at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan and taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations, a source familiar with the negotiations for his surrender told CNN.

The charges and details of the case against Combs are unclear.

The arrest was made on an indictment expected to be released Tuesday morning, according to a statement from Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

HSI, the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for investigating transnational crimes and threats, including human trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking, and other organized criminal activities.

Combs has been in New York since last week, his attorney said. Negotiations for his surrender were underway and a grand jury voted Monday to indict him, the source said.

“We are disappointed with the decision to prosecute Mr. Combs, which we believe is an injustice, by the United States Attorney’s Office,” Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, told CNN.

Combs’ attorney said the musician cooperated with the investigation that led to the charges and “voluntarily moved to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.” His team maintains his innocence and says he has “nothing to hide.”

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to uplift the black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo told CNN.

Agnifolo asked people to “suspend judgment until they have all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man who has nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Earlier this year, Combs became the target of a months-long sex trafficking investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations Agency, leading to large-scale searches of the musician’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March.

Following the raids, a law enforcement source told CNN that the federal investigation stems from many of the sexual abuse allegations made in multiple civil lawsuits against the producer. CNN learned that the scope of the investigation is much broader, focusing on sex trafficking, money laundering and illegal drugs.

Since last November, Combs has faced 10 lawsuits, nine of which directly accuse him of sexual abuse. As CNN previously reported, several of those accusers have met with federal investigators for questioning as part of the wide-ranging investigation.

CNN reported exclusively in May that federal investigators were preparing to bring Combs’ accusers before a federal grand jury to testify. It’s a significant escalation in the government’s investigation, signaling that the Justice Department is taking steps to potentially file charges against the rapper and businessman.

Combs has previously denied any alleged wrongdoing in the various lawsuits. However, he publicly apologized after CNN exclusively released surveillance footage earlier this year that showed Combs brutally beating his former girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

“In response to the numerous questions we have received regarding the charges against Sean Combs, neither Ms. Ventura nor I have commented,” attorney Douglas Wigdor, who represents Ventura, said in a statement Tuesday.

“We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,” Wigdor told CNN.

An attorney for three of Combs’ accusers — Lil Rod, April Lampros and Grace O’Marcaigh — called the arrest “long overdue.”

“We leave the criminal aspect of this case to the people and the justice system,” attorney Tyrone Blackburn said in a statement Monday night. “As for the civil matters, we are biding our time to reveal the facts and seek the justice our clients deserve.”

Blackburn expects more alleged victims to come forward.

“We knew this was coming. The evidence is very clear and it was only a matter of time. This is an important step toward justice for all of Mr. Combs’ victims, including my clients. Justice will prevail,” Blackburn added.

Combs faces a series of civil lawsuits

While it is unclear what evidence and allegations led to Combs’ arrest, the artist has faced a series of civil lawsuits over the past year, all but one of which allege sexual abuse.

Just last week, Dawn Richard, a former member of the music group Danity Kane, filed a lawsuit in New York accusing the producer of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and wrongful imprisonment, among other allegations.

Richard also alleged in the lawsuit that she witnessed Combs’ “brutal beating” of Ventura, who filed her own lawsuit against Combs in November 2023 and quickly settled.

One of Combs’ attorneys, Erica Wolff, denied Richard’s allegations in a statement to CNN and accused Richard of having financial motivations.

Another former Danity Kane member, Aubrey O’Day, responded to the news of Combs’ arrest in a post on X on Monday night.

“The purpose of Justice is to provide closure and give us space to create a new chapter. Women never get that. I feel validated. Today is a victory for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing,” O’Day wrote.

Danity Kane, like Ventura, was represented by Combs’ Bad Boy label.

Combs has also repeatedly denied allegations from Ventura that she was raped and subjected to years of physical and other abuse by Combs. However, Combs was seen in a 2016 video published by CNN earlier this year in which she grabbed, pushed, dragged and kicked Ventura. Two days after the video was published, Combs apologized for his actions captured in the recording.

“It’s so hard to look back on the darkest moments of your life, but sometimes you have to,” Combs said in a video statement on Instagram. “I was the worst — I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior in that video is inexcusable.”

He continued: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted by it. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

The music mogul has faced increasing public scrutiny since raids on his Los Angeles and Miami homes in March, which came weeks after Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a lawsuit against him.

Jones, who worked as a videographer and producer for Combs, accuses Combs of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and “grooming” and claims to have video and audio recordings of the musician and his staff “engaged in serious illegal activities,” according to a complaint filed in a New York federal court.

Jones alleges, among other things, that Combs forced him to recruit and interact with sex workers, threatened him, and served drugged alcoholic beverages to guests at house parties.

Shawn Holley, Combs’ attorney, denied the allegations in a statement to CNN, calling Jones “a liar.”

“His reckless name-dropping of events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to grab headlines. We have overwhelming, irrefutable evidence that his claims are complete lies,” Holley said in the statement.

In one of the ten lawsuits against Combs, he is named as a defendant, but charges are also being filed alleging sexual abuse of Combs’ son, Christian Combs, by a woman who worked as a crew member on a yacht.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Kara Scannell, John Miller and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

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